A rare second quarter of the 19th century French Rococo-style bell-striking Carriage clock alarm and push repeat
Paul Garnier, Paris, number 1029.
The gilt brass case with handle formed of two crouching mythical beasts perched above the large escapement inspection window, the case top with floral and shield casting supported by four decorative pillars cast with shields, strapwork and fish, the solid rear door with named sliding dust covers, supported on a shield- and floral- cast base on shaped feet. The 2 inch white enamel Roman dial with subsidiary Arabic alarm and blued steel trefoil hands, signed in blue Paul Garnier Her Du Roi Paris. The movement with three spring barrels and silvered English lever platform escapement with cut and compensated bimetallic balance complete with timing screws and blued steel regulation lever, striking the hour and half-hours, with hour repeat, signed and numbered on the back of the frontplate. Ticking, striking, repeating, and functioning alarm. Together with a travel case and winding key, the latter fitting into a formed recess in the bottom of the case. 17.5cms (7ins) high.
Footnotes:
Paul Garnier (né Jean-Paul) was born in 1801 in Épinal, France, moving first to Luxeuil to carry out a watchmaking apprenticeship, and then to Paris in 1820 to join Lépine's workshops, before finally establishing his own business in 1825. In the 1827 Exhibition he exhibited an astronomical clock and mantel regulators, which won him a silver medal (he would win silver medals again at both the 1834 and 1839 Exhibitions, before attaining gold in 1844). From 1830 Garnier began to make affordable, semi-massed produced carriage clocks (pendules de voyage) which can be said to have established the Parisian carriage clock industry. At around the same time he wrote to Antide Janvier asking for permission to use the title 'Elève de Janvier' as he had attended the free Horological school Janvier had established in 1802. Janvier assented to his request, and Garnier used the title on his carriage clocks until about 1835, and in his written correspondences until at least 1844. Around 1835, Garnier made use of the title 'Horloger [or Her] du Roi', which in turn is supplanted by 'Her De La Marine' after 1848. Signed 'Her du Roi', this clock, was likely made in the second quarter of the century.

His combination of basic shape and cost-saving escapement meant that pendules de voyage, having previously been too expensive for the vast majority of people, were reduced in cost to the price of a standard mantel clock. As well as being affordable, these clocks were well made, exhibiting very fine diameter pivots (even by French clock standards) and usually with rack striking. Repeating was saved for the more expensive examples, as in the current case. In his early clocks, engine turned dials in a watered silk style with one-piece cases and barrel stopwork were all the norm. Between about 1830 and 1840, it was common to fit a coloured-paper covered block of wood into the base of the hollow casting.

In addition to carriage clocks, Garnier presented a novel master clock and slave clock system (1847), and at least one chronometer has been assigned to him. He also pursued scientific instrument making, his obituary being published in the Society for Civil Engineers bulletin in 1869.


The clock is stamped on the back of the front plate with 'Paul Garnier Her Du Roi Paris' in the upper left corner, and '1029' in the lower centre.

Included with the lot is a clipping from Country Life, 1973 which illustrates and describes this clock.

For further reading, see Allix, C. (1993) 'Paul Garnier Revisited', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 20 (5), pp. 411-425.
Arnott, P. (2011) 'Constant Force Chronometer, No. 1 Attributed to Paul Garnier', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 33 (1), pp. 58-65.
British Horological Institute (1890) 'A few Words about M. Paul Garnier's Collection', The Horological Journal, Vol. 33 (3), pp. 33-34